Bilingual Parent Wellness Coach

ABOUT US

The Primary School is creating a new school model that brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. We recognize the entrenched racism that exists within our public systems and the unjust impact this has had on families of color. Our aim is that children and families most impacted by systemic poverty and racism receive the multidisciplinary support they deserve to be well, learn, and thrive.

Long-term, we hope to create a game-changing school model that can be replicated across the country. As we continue to learn and grow, we plan to share what we’ve learned and pursue policy and systems change on a local, state, and national level. We are supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic partners, building on the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Our approach has three defining characteristics:

• We start early. We start working with children as young as 18 months and provide full-time school starting at age three to reach them at a critical stage in development.
• We partner with parents. We believe that when parents thrive, children thrive, so we support the wellness and growth of parents alongside the growth of their children.
• We integrate services. Our unique model unites health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child’s full needs.

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four year olds. We have grown to serve over 300 children and their families through a birth to three program, parent wellness program, full-day preschool, and elementary school, which will grow through eighth grade. In 2021, we opened our second site in the East Bay.

ABOUT OUR EAST PALO ALTO SITE

We are continuing to grow our East Palo Alto site and are excited to launch 5th grade for our 2022-2023 school year. In our school program, we currently serve over 300 students across two preschool grades (3 and 4 year olds) and kindergarten through sixth grade. Integrated into our program are the other core components of our model including our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our birth to 3 program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community to coordinate care for children.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Bilingual Parent Wellness Coach is a year round position that reports to the East Palo Alto Senior Manager of Parent Wellness Program and is responsible for working with families to help them envision a bold future for their children and set goals towards this vision. Coaching is a partnership in which the coach supports and motivates caregivers to make changes towards achieving their goals for themselves and their families. The coach will holistically work with our parents and families to identify strengths and problem solve around challenges. The role is a vital part of The Primary School that ensures our parents are supported and connected. Coaches will deliver monthly programming to cohorts of caregivers, facilitate our group-based coaching model, and build 1:1 coaching relationships with their cohort of parents.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Developing intentional relationships necessary to provide one-on-one coaching and group coaching for parents, including the co-development of individualized parent growth plans.
• Serve as a resource to connect parents with appropriate partners related to housing, budgeting, career and education, childcare, health care, and more. Also supporting parents prepare for connecting to resources, and addressing barriers for connecting to resources.
• Communicate regularly with other stakeholders related to the child (teachers, doctors, health workers, social service workers) and monitor and document parents progress according to individual growth plans.
• Work with families to address their wellbeing as it relates to how they support their child’s growth plans, also supporting family engagement with the student’s experience in school.
• Thorough and organized documentation of caseload efforts and program data, according to deadlines.
• Manages time efficiently and effectively , implements independent organization skills to accomplish individual and program goals. Timely responsiveness to families and colleagues.
• Participate in the development and facilitation of family workshops and community groups.
• Provide regular feedback to TPS regarding parent and coaching experiences with the program and be an innovator for change.
• Support with seasonal recruitment projects , including speaking about the program to prospective families or community partners with guidance from the family engagement manager and director of 2-gen programming as needed or as assigned.
• Works to develop a culture of ownership, flexibility, collaboration, and solution-focused mindset when barriers arise to meeting program goals with children, families, and colleagues.
• Respond to families’ crises and support mitigate impact year round.

QUALIFICATIONS

• You have 3-5 years of community outreach experience supporting parents who have experienced trauma and/or crises (e.g., homelessness, domestic violence), and have deep knowledge of the resources available to families. (Note: We are open to individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including but not limited to social work, medicine, public health, education, community development, and international development.)
• You are a communicator with strong writing and public speaking skills, and feel comfortable leading and facilitating large groups.
• You coach and advocate for others in a way that is compassionate, strength-based and non-judgmental.
• You embody empathy and embrace cultural differences; you recognize and know how to navigate groups and individuals representing a range of needs, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• You are able to balance multiple priorities - meeting with families, preparing for sessions, entering data - gracefully and with practiced personal organization and time management.
• You are a natural problem solver, fixer and finder of resources; in moments of tension, you diffuse and resolve conflict.
• You are extremely self-aware and self motivated, and have a strong desire to learn.
• You are comfortable in ambiguity and environments that change rapidly.
• You recognize that working with families often requires flexibility to work evenings, early mornings, and weekends.
• You want to work with and learn from all TPS team members, from early childhood education to parent coaching to community engagement.
• You believe in the mission of The Primary School and that all children and families are capable of extraordinary things.
• You speak fluent Spanish.

A Plus If

• You have ties to the East Palo Alto community.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

COMPENSATION

Annual salary is $66,560, plus excellent health benefits (health, dental, and vision), 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit. TPS will cover 93% of the total premium cost for individual team members in our HMO and PPO plans, and 95% for individual team members in our HDHP plan. TPS also covers 50% of enrolled partners and/or dependents' costs on all three of our medical plans (HMO,PPO, HDHP).

To ensure fair and equitable compensation for all of our employees, The Primary School has a no-negotiation policy on all offers extended. Final offers are determined using role descriptions, job market data, internal parity, and semi-annual benchmarking. We hope that this policy, paired with ongoing transparency in our compensation process, will make TPS a more fair, inclusive, and diverse culture.